The Magpie Superstition
by Priestess Skye
Summary: The Magpie has always had a world of folklore surrounding it. Some believe that seeing a magpie can determine your fortune, depending on how many you see. A series of interconnected oneshots based on the lore of the Magpie. KagSess
1. One for Sorrow

One for Sorrow

She lay with her back against the trunk of the Goshinboku, her eyes closed in thought. The tree provided her with a comfort she could find nowhere else. It was a sign, a symbol, a connection to a time she never should have been able to see, but was now, or she should say, used to be a part of. Was Inuyasha doing the very same thing she was now? Leaning against the tree and thinking of her as she was of him? She could only hope so.

Despite the hustle and bustle of the city, it was quiet. She didn't hear the sounds of the cars, the honking horns, or people shouting just down the road, as she typically did. She ignored the tourists roaming the shrine grounds, or the sounds of the bells as many people prayed. None of that mattered now. What she did hear was the birds singing, and the crickets chirping. It reminded her of the feudal era, her second home until a few months ago.

She was alone now, not quite fitting in with anybody here anymore. Occasionally Ayumi, Yuka and Eri would drop by, and they would either stay in and chat, or go shopping, but it wasn't the same. The three of them became closer over the years while she had drifted away because of her so-called illness. They had moved onto university, and each of them was doing well at school. She had just begun some evening classes in a cram school to get her back on track. She wanted to go to school, needed to become somebody, do something useful again, but like all things, it would take time.

She wasn't even sure what she was interested in studying. She was taking a few history courses, figuring they were a good first step into figuring something out as she had a solid background in it. But studying it wasn't nearly satisfying as living it.

It was boring.

The visits to the museums just made her sad. It was bittersweet to see all of her memories fade away to time. The people who used to be so alive were now just a legend, only known to those who made it their business to know. The displays of the monks and the Buddhist religion during the feudal era reminded her constantly of Miroku, who never once gave up despite the constant threat to his life. Instead of believing his wind tunnel to be a weakness, he considered it a strength, and she never did tell him how much she admired that trait of his.

Then there were the numerous trips to the library for the different papers she had, and she stumbled upon an article about demon hunters, and with pride she thought of Sango. A young woman who made something of herself during a time where women were thought of little more than potential housewives.

What she did look forward to do were the stories about the different demons that existed, now nothing more than legend. She never did find anything about Inuyasha, or Shippo, neither having done anything notable to get noticed, maybe other than the defeat of Naraku. But then he fell to legend too. With no mention of Naraku, why should there be a mention of Inuyasha or Shippo.

Sesshoumaru was another story as he was considered a demon of importance. The first day she stumbled upon an entry about him in a book, she locked herself into her room for three hours and just cried. Every emotion she had bottled up, every thought she had tried to bury of everybody came rocketing to the surface and she lost it.

The proud demon lord falling to the fate of the others, known only to those who take the time to find out about him.

And her thoughts of studying history were over.

She didn't want to spend the time dwelling on the past, knowing there was nothing she could do to bring any of them back. The memories were too painful, and she had spent too much time, put too much effort into not thinking about them. So now, she studied literature, hoping that one day she could maybe teach others.

She could see herself working with kids. After all, Rin had adored her. The young, exuberant ward of Lord Sesshoumaru's, so full of life and love for all things. She ignored the hate between the two brothers and latched onto her immediately, and it was quite often the two groups would catch up with each other.

How many flowers did the young girl braid into her hair? Or how many crowns did they make only to make Jaken pretty? The toad thing had spent many hours grouching, but he didn't once try and stop her. Whether it was because he cared about Rin, or feared Sesshoumaru, she didn't know, but it was good fun all the same.

But now there was nobody. Rin was long gone, probably the last of her human family to pass on. Inuyasha…well, she wasn't sure, but she didn't hold out much hope, as she couldn't sense any youkai nearby.

"Kagome."

She opened her eyes to see her mother standing before her, as she had so many times in the past when she'd wander out here to think. "Hey mom."

Her mother had become her saviour of sorts, the only woman who understood what she was going through. After all, time and time again she had to watch her only daughter walk away and leap into a different time era, not knowing if she was ever going to see her again. Her mother had been nice enough to take the first week after her return off work, and she figured she spent the better part of the week clinging to her, just holding onto something familiar. "I've made some tea if you'd like to sit and talk."

She smiled as her mother handed her a cup, made just the way she liked it, and watched her mother sit next to her. For a while, they just enjoyed the silence as they slowly drank their tea. For a small period of time, she didn't have to worry about anything, about what her future held, what the past held, or even what she was going to do in the next two hours. Things were simply right in her world just the way they were right now. But it was time to break the silence. "I'm dropping history," she told her mother, expecting the disappointment that would come when a parent hears of their child's education being thrown away.

"I knew it was going to happen sooner or later," her mother replied in a calm manner. She placed her free hand on Kagome's shoulder. "You've lived through it. Nothing will compare to that and the memories of your life in the past will only bring you pain if you try to relive them."

She smiled. Her mother always knew what to say. "I'm thinking of switching to literature, maybe teaching. I think I could do that."

"You would do that well. There's something about you that makes people work harder to impress you. I've seen it with your friends, I've seen it with Hojo and believe it or not, I've seen it with Inuyasha. You would make a wonderful teacher."

"Inuyasha would try to impress me?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course. It was small things, but over the course of the years he matured a great deal. He would swear less, unless of course he lost his temper," they both giggled.

"I never realized that. He just seemed like the same old Inuyasha to me," she marveled. "Well maybe he matured a bit, but I attributed that to growing up."

"No, a lot of it was because of you. The chats we would have when you were at school, it made me proud to know him, and it made me wish in many ways he was my son, as he would have made me very proud if he were. His outlook on life had changed, and he was content to simply enjoy it once you were finished your task." She looked at her daughter, noted the small smile on her face and knew what she was about to say would break her heart, but it needed to be said. She needed to know how far along the hanyou had come. "He once told me he wished for family, much like ours. He wanted a son, and a daughter just like you. He wanted children who would take joy in life, want to learn to defend themselves like him, but have a thirst for knowledge like you. He wanted your intelligence and common sense passed on to them. He even joked around about putting up with your temper because it would all be worth it."

"Oh mom," Kagome buried her head into her mother's shoulder, not wanting to hear the rest of the story, but needing to as well. When was she going to move past all this?

"He told me Shippo would be thrilled acting the older brother and would be more than content to sit and show the kids various magic tricks while the two of you took a much needed break every now and again. The two of you would have a house on the outskirts of the village you stayed at, somewhere in the forest, most likely near this very tree as it was where you two met. When Kaede passed on, as she most likely would, because as he said to me 'it wouldn't be long before the old hag croaked'. Of course this was said with affection."

Kagome laughed a bit. That was typical Inuyasha, expressing his fondness for somebody with harsh words. "Let me guess, he assumed I would take over her role as village priestess, as untrained as I was."

"That sums it up. Being untrained to him didn't matter, and he said it wouldn't matter to you because you would still do what you can for the villagers, be it based on what you know as a priestess, or based on what you've learned from your time here."

She continued to sit there, sipping her tea, leaning into her mother enjoying the silence. "I miss him," she finally admitted for the first time since she had returned home. She had cried for him, let her mother comfort her, but had never said those words to anybody. Not once.

"I know. It'll get easier with time." Her mother stood up and took her teacup before turning back to the house. "There's a gentleman in the house I'll send out to you," she called back. "I wanted to make sure you were okay before receiving him. He understood."

Now she looked confused. Who could be visiting her? She had turned Hojo away long ago, telling him as nicely as possible that her heart belonged to somebody else, and he took it with grace. She stood from her spot at the base of the tree and brushed the leaves off her jeans in an effort to make herself look presentable.

"Miko."

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the deep baritone voice. It had been over two months since she last heard it. "Sesshoumaru," she murmured, more to herself than to him, and looked up.

He stood before her, wearing a pinstripe suit and long overcoat, looking very much like he belonged in this time. Maybe he did, after all, he had five hundred years to become accustomed to the changes that were happening. Some things remained the same though. His hair remained long, his eyes amber, and the markings on his face and arm were visible.

"I go by Hisashi now," he said as he took several steps forward. "In public anyway. Sesshoumaru is too uncommon to use for five hundred years. People would begin to wonder."

"Long-lived. That would certainly describe you," she met him halfway and just continued to stare him. She wanted to run to him, to hug him, to never let go. But common sense won out. Here stood history's deadliest demon before her. One did not just go running and jumping into his arms.

But he was solid, and real, and her only connection to the past, the only one, other than her mother, who knew what she went through, what she lived, what she was missing. She wanted to hold onto him and never let go for that very reason.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, knowing that he would understand the question she couldn't begin to put into words.

He shook his head. "He waited as long as he could for you, but time won out. Hanyou don't live as long as demons. He passed on twenty-five years ago, peacefully, in his sleep."

"No," she could feel the tears build up in her eyes and suddenly she was pressed against a hard chest, his arm rubbing circles on her back. The last little bit of hope she held her heart died.

And in the distance, she could hear a lone magpie cry.

END

Okay, so inspiration has struck again. Some of you may know of the Magpie Superstition. There are several versions of it. Basically all you need to know is there's a superstition about the magpie bird and some people believe your fortune is dependent on how many you see. So see one lone magpie and there's sorrow in the near future.

This is going to be a series of interconnected one shots, and each one shot will be written as I'm so inspired to write them. There will be seven stories in this series

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Co. do not belong to me, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi.


	2. Two for Mirth

Two for Mirth

For the first time in three months, she smiled when she saw him arriving. A true smile, not something she put on simply for manners sake. The past few months had been hard as she came to grips with reality, with the fact that she would never again see Inuyasha. And while she understood that Sesshoumaru had promised his brother that he would look after her, not that she needed looking after she had grumbled to him, he reminded her too much of Inuyasha, the gold eyes, the silver hair, and the better than thou exterior. Granted, Inuyasha's better than thou

exterior was different, but it was still there sometimes.

But now, as she spent more time with him, she was learning to move beyond the past, and look forward to the future.

She sat atop the first branch on Goshinboku, enjoying the newly fresh spring air. The grass was still too wet to sit on, and try as she might, she found it extremely difficult to enjoy everything nature had to offer sitting on a plastic, man-made chair. It just didn't seem right.

"You'll fall one day if you keep this up," she heard him call as he approached the tree.

"So then it'll be a glorious fall," she countered as she shifted further out on the branch, making room for him. It didn't take any effort at all for him to jump up and join her.

"What has you in a good mood?" he asked. "It's strange not to see the sadness in your eyes, although a relief."

She smiled at him again, brilliantly, causing him to smile himself. It was true what they say, emotions could be contagious he thought. But then everything about this girl was starting to affect him. What started out as a simple promise had turned into much more. She became his friend.

"Everything. Look up," she pointed to a small nest sitting in the upper branches.

"Magpies," he noted.

"Yeah, two of them. They bring good luck. So I figure, if they can start fresh, why can't I? I was just accepted into Tokyo University in the fall. I'm a little shocked, but they're giving me a scholarship." She smirked, "apparently they're taking pity on me because of all my illnesses."

"Wouldn't you rather get an education based on your merits than your family's lies?" he asked, risking upsetting her again, but knowing it was an important question.

Yet her smile didn't waver. "I got into the school based on my merits. A little extra money never hurt."

There was such joy in her eyes though that he felt ready to drown in them, and the change between this visit and his last visit with her was remarkable. It astounded him and threw him off balance.

"Well, I think we should be celebrating instead of sitting a tree," he remarked, ready to pull her down with him.

"Uh uh," she shook her head. "For months now I've spent my time drowning in my sorrow by this tree, but no longer. It's time to start making some happy memories here."

She looked up at the tree, spying the buds of the new leaves and the blue sky above. It was definitely time to start making new memories here.

Here, beneath the branches of the Goshinboku.

Beneath the magpies.

Right where everything started so long ago.

And with the one person she was beginning to trust like no other.

"And how do you plan on celebrating while sitting in a tree?" he asked, his amber eyes beginning to glow with curiousity, and a touch of mischievous delight. Five hundred years ago she would never have seen it, she thought. He would never have let anybody see any emotion other than a deadly calm. But things change, times change, and here he was, in her time, sitting on her tree.

She looked up again, this time reaching her hands up as well to test the sturdiness of the branch above her. "I haven't climbed this tree since I was five years old."

"What made you stop?"

She frowned slightly. "I fell out of it. My mother came running outside yelling at me like a banshee when she saw how high up I was and I lost my grip and fell. It was one of my happier days."

"Happier days?"

"Yeah, I knew she still loved me that day. I was sent outside after being in the way in the house, with the new baby and all, and I guess I was a little jealous after all, Souta was getting all of the attention. So I decided I would fly away, and that would show her. So I began climbing to the top of the tree, figuring I'll need some height for liftoff, and I guess she saw me through the window and just came out screaming. For just a moment, she distracted me enough that I didn't grab onto a branch properly and fell to the ground. I was lucky. I only broke my arm, and needed a few stitches." She lifted her bangs off her face to show him the tiny scar at her hairline. "But she coddled me so much when we got home." She smiled wryly, "after the lecture I received about doing something incredibly stupid and people weren't meant to fly in anything other than an airplane."

She placed one hand on his shoulder, and another on the branch above her and pulled herself to a standing position, before pulling herself up to the second branch, then the third and fourth. "Hey, coming up?" she called down to him.

"I'll meet you on whatever branch you end on."

"Fine, suit yourself, but climbing the tree, not just seeing the view at the top, is half the fun."

And she continued to climb, swinging left on the tree to avoid the magpie nest, then back right onto a sturdier branch. Even as a child, she never made it quite this far up, and the view she saw nearly took her breath away. The green expanse of the shrine bordering along thousands of tall buildings.

Old meets new.

It was how she felt at that moment. So very old based on her knowledge, her experience, her own personal history, but so very new as she prepared to begin her next adventure. Four years from now, she'd be graduating university, with a purpose. She'll be able to make a choice, continue her schooling and get a master's degree, and eventually a PhD, and maybe teach at the university. She'd be able to show her friends that despite whatever she went through when she was younger, and however much she was set back, she could still be a success.

Or she could take the knowledge and schooling she had and go off to teach younger students, when she'd be able to mold and shape their minds.

She could climb up to branch A, or branch B.

But she sat where she was as there was still time. "This is a good place," she called down to her companion, and sat upon the branch, closer to the base where it was stronger.

"Can't go any higher?" he asked her when he leapt up to sit next to her.

"I'm at a crossroads," she admitted. "I could continue and go one way, or I could go another way. But right now I still have time to make a decision. I don't have to go any higher today so this is a good place to rest. I can still see everything from here."

"Hn." He knew she wasn't just talking about climbing the tree, or the view, but he wouldn't push her. She would eventually confide in him and tell him precisely what her thoughts were. But it didn't have to be today. Trust took time to develop and after waiting for five hundred years, he could wait a few months more for her to talk to him, tell him her inner most thoughts.

But for now, this was nice. She was with him, and while she wasn't whole at the moment, complete, she was nearly there.

"Hey," she nudged him. "In the many times you've been by to see me, you never once explained what it is you do."

He wanted to smile, as this was definitely a good first step forward. "I do what I want. When I want to write, I'll write, both historical non-fiction, and fiction. I've run a business, I've done some consulting, painting, been involved in real-estate."

"In other words, you've done as you've always done. Just do as you please and when you get bored, switch."

"I prefer to call it 'keeping my options open'."

She laughed, and once again, there was not a trace of sadness or sorrow in it. He wanted to hear more of it. Even five hundred years ago he would have been shocked to hear her laugh like that, knowing the hell she went through with Inuyasha and Kikyou.

Maybe now was the time. Now was the time he could tell her about the others, let her know that she wasn't alone in the world, that they weren't alone. For the past several months he had been putting off talking about Rin and Shippo. He knew it could possibly damage their relationship, especially since it was on so tenuous a thread, but if he had brought them up any sooner, it would have been emotional overload.

But now it was time. She was happy, she was moving forward, and any set back at this point wouldn't set her back very far, he would make sure of it.

"There's an event in a month I'd like you to set aside the date for," he began as he absently twirled a piece of her black hair in his fingers. "Formal dress, dinner will be provided."

This time her smile was small, but perhaps the most sincere he had ever seen grace her face. "Sounds like a plan."

"You don't even know what it is."

"I know, but I don't think you're going to take me to a cheesy motel wearing a formal gown. You have taste, so I'm sure wherever you're taking me will be fine. I'm in the mood for surprises today, so surprise me."

The faith and trust she had put in him in such a short amount of time amazed him, and nearly humbled him. Nearly, only because he expected she would say yes. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her steady against him on the small branch so she wouldn't lose her balance and fall. They had time now, it was their time now and he wasn't going to let go of it.

She was going to come to a crossroads soon and make a decision about where she was going to go, but he wasn't going to let her fall. He was going to hold her along whatever path she chose, and he would be there for her for every step they took in their new adventure together.

END

AN

Okay, so we have installment number two, and three is well under way. I was at an astronomical society meeting last night and they were talking about the gizmos you could buy for your Schmidt Cassegrain scope…well mine isn't a SCT, and I'm a long way off from investing in one and by the time I do, the gizmos will have changed, so I took advantage of the 20 min talk by writing :) Somebody asked me what at magpie was, it's a bird, part of the crow family I believe, at least from what I last read. There are several versions of the superstition for anybody who looks them up, so my superstition might vary just slightly

Thanks to everybody who reviewed,

ASS: Sally, Wiccan and Bert8813, MickeytheMouse

See disclaimer chapter one


	3. Three for a Wedding

Three for a Wedding

The orange hair struck a chord with her, and she caught her breath when she first saw it. She recognized it almost immediately, knew she would never forget it. But gone was everything else she had remembered. Gone was the child she knew, had wanted to raise as her own, and had missed desperately. But at this moment, she couldn't have been happier, or more proud of him.

Her little kit was all grown up.

And now he was married … to Rin, the little girl she had wanted for her own as well.

Oh they had been mated for centuries, Shippo getting to know Rin well as he grew up alongside her and Sesshoumaru. She had laughed when he told her the story of approaching the demon lord for permission to mate her, and how he seemed more fearsome at that single moment than when Naraku was at his worst.

But what had really touched her was the fact that the two of them had waited for marriage so she could be there to witness it. In the yes of many humans, they had been living in sin for nearly 480 years. But she wished she had known sooner that they were still around. It seemed like all this time was wasted trying to get over the past when she could have been making a future with her family.

So many of them had lived on that it gave her hope. She nearly cried when she ran into Kouga before the ceremony, and for once had brushed off his 'my woman' comment as nothing more than friendly affection, especially seeing as he had a mate of his own. A gorgeous water youkai he had met shortly after she left. Within five minutes of conversing with her, she knew they were going to be fast friends.

And Jaken! She was surprised to see him there as well, especially seeing as Sesshoumaru hadn't once brought him up in their talks, but then he didn't bring up Rin or Shippo in his talks either.. He was still playing babysitter, except this time for Rin's children. And he loved every minute of it despite his griping and grumbling. She could see it in his eyes whenever he mentioned one of them, or look their way. He was like a proud uncle, just a very scary looking uncle, she mused.

And then there were the kits. So many of them over the years, she didn't know how Rin did it. Twelve in all so far, ranging from the ages of 10 years old right up to 300, all of them a blend of their parents. Some with dark brown hair, some with orange, a few with kitsune magic, some with human features, each one of them unique in their own way.

Would this be how her mother would feel when she has kids of her own? Here she was, twenty-three, and she considered herself a grandmother a dozen times over. Wouldn't her own mother be shocked.

Or even more so, her friends.

She giggled at the thought of telling them, and the looks on their faces. It would surely be a look of disbelief.

The arms around her tightened just a smidge as she was pulled out of her revelry. "What are you thinking about?" her dancing partner asked, his breath hot on her ear.

"How did you know I was thinking of anything?" she asked back, continuing to move in time with the music; slow, steady, with a bit of rhythm.

"I can feel the amusement roll off you," he replied as he moved his only arm lower on her back, occasionally rubbing circles on it.

"I was thinking about Eri, Yuka and company. And how they would react if they knew my 550 year old son got married today, and I have 12 grandkits."

"They would be shocked no doubt."

"And Hojo," she giggled. "That would probably be the one thing that would have turned him off me immediately. He'd be coming into a ready made family, father, grandfather, all of it."

He stretched his arm out and spun her around before pulling her back close, the baritone voice of Elvis Presley washing over them both. As the world became more Americanized, it wasn't uncommon to find a lot more English songs being played at weddings. After a brief chat with Rin, she had learned that Rin loved all things American. American music, American food, an American wedding. It was different, but still very beautiful.

And the song only enhanced the mood more. "Hojo isn't mature enough to deal with a family such as ours," he murmured, recalling the young man who had chased after Kagome tirelessly once upon a time.

'A family such as ours,' the words rang through her head over and over as he spun her around the dance floor.

Ours.

That one word carried a wealth of meaning, but she guessed he was right. The family wasn't just his, or hers, it was theirs.

His daughter, her son, their grandchildren.

They were connected to each other by something bigger, deeper than mere friendship, and whatever else was blossoming.

They were family. Maybe not by blood, but certainly by love.

"I don't think many could deal with a family like ours," she admitted. "Who in this world is ready to deal with twelve hanyou kits, Shippo and his 500 year old human wife, a priestess who is still working at finding herself, and a dog demon with a superiority complex?"

He smiled at her small jest. "It is not a superiority complex when it's fact I am superior to you all."

"Whatever," she smiled in return and brushed off his comment. "Many people would not see it your way."

"That is beside the point. You asked who would be able to deal with any of us. The answer is nobody. Nobody would be able to handle our lot."

She took a hold of his hand as the next song began to play, something upbeat she had no desire to dance to at this moment, and pulled him to the bar before she ordered another white wine spritzer. A child's drink, he had called it earlier when she asked for it, but then, she wasn't one to handle her alcohol very well, so diluting it a little never hurt.

She looked across the dance floor to see Rin and Shippo dancing together, their youthful vitality still shining brightly despite the years. "They're still very happy, aren't they." It was more of a statement, not a question, but he still answered.

"Yes."

"Was there ever a time they thought they wouldn't make it together?"

"No. It's instinctual. Youkai know who their mates are and once they find them, they don't waste time courting them, then claiming them," he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back against his chest.

"Then how come it took Inuyasha so long to figure things out?"

"His human blood," he replied nonchalantly. "The human blood dilutes the youkai blood and it plays havoc on the instinct. As well as having youkai instinct, he was also burdened with human emotions. One side couldn't agree with the other."

"Makes sense, why he was always torn between Kikyou and I," she leaned into him, welcoming his warmth.

"It is only one of many explanations. However, none of them matter any longer."

"No, I suppose not. Hey," she looked up at him. "I saw the mama magpie today for the first time with her two babies. As cute as they are, watching her feed them was gross," she wrinkled up her nose as best she could. "There are just some things I didn't need to see."

He laughed, deep and full, the sound and feel of his chest shaking against her reverberated throughout her body, filling her with a sense of joy.

It was getting difficult to keep track of the many times she had made him laugh over the past several weeks. Yet five hundred years ago she'd have laughed at anybody who told her she could make the demon lord even crack a smile unless it was in malice.

"You know, it would be nice for humans to have the same instinct about knowing who to fall in love with. It would save a lot of heartache."

"True, but then you wouldn't have the adventure of getting to know somebody, and letting your feelings develop slowly over time. There's none of that in our mating, none of the anxiousness that builds up, the eagerness of seeing this person again and the anticipation of learning something new, or experiencing something new. With us, it just is."

"That sounds so," she remained silent for a moment as she tried to come up with the perfect word. "Well, it sounds so boring to be honest. I think I'd like to know who I would end up falling in love with, but if it's everything it's cracked up to be, I'd like to experience it first hand too."

The quick, choppy beats smoothed out into the mellow sound of Josh Groban and she put down her wine glass as he led her back to the dance floor. She watched the lights reflect off his silver hair, giving it that bit of extra shine, and the way the tuxedo complimented him so well, as if he were born to wear it.

And she couldn't help but feel the butterflies in her stomach when it finally dawned on her. Here was a man who stood patiently by her side while she mourned his brother. Here was a man who listens intently to everything she had to say.

And here was a man who made her believe she mattered.

Looking up at him she suddenly forgot all the reasons why she swore off men after Inuyasha. And she understood why she would never want a youkai's instincts.

Falling in love was an adventure.

And it wasn't one she wanted to miss.

END

AN

So, I was sitting here thinking today, how ironic it is that I'm writing a series based on superstitions about birds. I hate birds, hate all things to do with birds, and yet I'm focusing on them. Tres weird. I was once chased down by a flock of seagulls at a beach when I was younger. I had about two dozen of them dive bombing at my head trying to nab my peanut butter sandwich, so I'm actually quite vindictive toward them. But here I am writing stories on which a large part of it has to do with magpie birds. This will probably be the only time you'll ever see me look upon birds in a favourable light…in this series.

For anybody interested in the celestial happenings, if you live in Canada or the U.S., there is a total lunar eclipse tonight (Aug 27/28). If you live on the west coast, you can see the full thing. However, those of you in Toronto or Eastern Standard Time, you can still see it go into totality at 4:50am, and it'll turn into a rust/copper colour, but it will set in totality. I plan on being up at 4am to rendezvous with an observation group for this spectacular event. Yes, I will most definitely have coffee in hand.

I have also spent a good chunk of the day creating a new livejournal page. I have decided that it's more trouble than its worth, but it's finally done. It's really simple, but I like it and given the fact that it would take me hours again to change it, I'm not touching it lol. If I had known there would be as much hassle creating it as there was, I'd have have rethought creating a profile. However, I required the profile to submit to Ebony Silk. Anybody interested can check out the link in my profile, although there's not much there. It will one day have some ranting, blogging, and notices of updates in it.

Special thanks to the following people for your wonderful reviews.

ASS – Wiccan, Serasvictoria666, demonlordlover, and Isis. – LadySafire, NeonAlchemist, darknessofmyheart, Bert8813, Unique – unistar, coykoi, inuyashaloverr, – demonlordlover

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: See the first story.


	4. Four for a Birth

Four for a Birth

Despite the inevitable noxious fumes that are present in any urban area, the spring air was surprisingly fresh, something that was a rarity, and therefore relished. Having completed her final exam earlier in the morning, she decided to spend the afternoon in total relaxation and contentment. Sesshoumaru had come over for a surprise visit, something he did quite often when she least expected it. Over the course of the past year she had been spending more time with him, getting to know him, getting to see the changes that occurred over the past five hundred years.

There were times she would become angry with him, frustrated with his egotistical, domineering attitude. When one moment he'd be treating her like an equal, and the next like she was nothing but the dirt beneath his foot. She knew it wasn't his intention, but it was irritating nonetheless. There were times they could sit in total silence, observe their surroundings, and nothing would feel more right.

And then there were times filled with explosive volatility, either her screaming at him, or he would be staring her down with that glare of his. She could swear men had died from that glare being sent their way.

And yet they stuck at it, becoming not only friends, but best friends, and something more. Or so she hoped.

One never necessarily knows where they stand with Sesshoumaru Taisho. He was still that tightlipped about his emotions.

But today was a good day as she sat curled up in his arms on a bench swing he had installed under the God tree – what she now considered 'their' place.

And instead of worrying about what was going to happen tomorrow, they were focused on the 'now'. It was kind of nice, she realized, to not have to worry about anything. Very rarely was she ever allowed to just be content. Maybe things were starting to balance out after so many years of turmoil.

"The nest is back," he pointed up into the tree, looking at the tenth branch up.

"Yeah, there are four eggs in it this year. I'm hoping they'll make it."

"Magpies are hardy birds. I'm sure they'll be fine," he reassured her. Over the past several hundred years he had seen birds come and go, some die from illness, or just from weakness in general. But the scavenger birds always seemed to survive. He didn't know why the magpies fascinated her so though. To him, they weren't worthy of even a glance.

But it didn't really matter, and he doubted that she gave them a second thought as they basked in the sunlight and fresh air.

"They once stole my mother's keys," she murmured as she shut her eyes. She put them on a table as she needed both hands to pick something up and one minute they were there, the next we saw the magpie holding it taking them to its nest."

"How did you get them back?"

She giggled. "I felt bad for him, but I had Souta wave a roll of silver wrapping paper around. The silly bird went after that while I climbed the tree to retrieve them. Poor Souta was running around the yard like mad trying to avoid this bird dive bombing at his head."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the story. Her little brother, or mayhap, not so little brother anymore, had endeared himself to him over the course of the year. He was as protective of his sister as a sibling should be, and even had the guts to stand up to him when he first started coming around. Five hundred years ago it would have cost him his head, but today, Souta had earned his respect.

"How did your exam go?" he finally asked. It was the one question he resisted asking all day in case it didn't go well. He didn't want to ruin their peaceful afternoon.

But she tensed nonetheless, as she always did when he brought up school. She once told him it was because of force of habit, because Inuyasha would never react well to any mention of school and it always seemed to cause a rift. It was a shame too because she was smart, and Inuyasha's attitude toward schooling had caused her grades to slip far below what she should have been getting. The few papers he had read this year for her were exemplary. He had every confidence that she did better than expected.

"I think it went fine. I'll know in a month or so when they post my grades for the year. Regardless, my grades from last semester will be enough for the school to renew my scholarship." She relaxed again as he moved his hand to her neck to knead the muscles.

"Even if they didn't I'd ensure you'd be able to afford school," he reassured.

"I couldn't ask that of you."

"No, you couldn't. But I'd give it to you anyway. Your education is important to you, and it's something I don't mind fostering. I have more money than I know what to do with."

This she knew. How many times did he take her to a pricy dinner just so they could have some conversation? How many dresses show up at her door so she could dress for these dinners? She knew if he didn't want to spend the money on her, he wouldn't have. But sometimes it felt weird to be accepting gifts from him when they were nothing more than friends.

"You have to let me return the favours one day," she argued, not wanting to bring it up again, but needing to.

"You will," he agreed. "It's just not time yet. I'll let you know when it is."

She thought of the many times they sat in this swing. Even when he wasn't around, off somewhere across the globe on a great business trip, or just holed up in his office, studio, or whatever he chose to do for that day, she would come out and sit here, instantly feeling the connection to both him, and the past.

That was another remarkable side effect of their friendship. She no longer felt sadness when she thought of the feudal era. Yes, it was marked with tragedy, and with heartache. She was saddened when Shippo told her Sango and Miroku parted ways, but she had also learned that Sango had married a young lord who supported her profession of demon exterminator, and Miroku had stopped his wandering when Kaede passed on and became the new guardian of the village.

Somehow, that seemed right for both them. But along with tragedy and heartache, she had found Shippo, and Sesshoumaru. And despite his constant reminders, she still had problems calling him by his new name. She couldn't help it, he would always be Sesshoumaru to her. If the past hadn't have happened, she wouldn't be where she was today.

And today, she was well underway to being happy.

The quiet sound of something cracking broke through her thoughts and she saw Sesshoumaru looking up at the tree, his sensitive hearing picking up the sound long before she did. "What is it?" she asked.

"The eggs are hatching. It looks like you're going to get your magpies today."

A huge smile stretched across her face as she strained her neck to look higher. He only chuckled has he gathered her close and leapt up to a nearby branch where they could get an unimpeded view.

The process was slower than she thought it would be, or at least slower than the story books and cartoons had made it out to be. She could see fine lines on two of the eggs, and watched them slowly spread, but it didn't look like anything was going to break through any time soon. The third egg actually had a tiny hole in it, not much better than a pin prick. And the fourth, well the fourth was well under way as the hole grew bigger. She could actually see a small beak struggling to poke through.

"All four of them are going to make it," she stated with eagerness as more of the fourth egg was chipped away.

"Of course."

Of course he would be certain, she thought. He could probably smell the life in each of the eggs, would be able to scent death if it surrounded one of the eggs.

"We've never had four magpies in our tree before." She frowned as she looked around. "Where's the mother? Surely she wouldn't want to miss this?"

He chuckled a bit. "You can't equate bird instincts with human instincts. Human mothers have no choice but to be there for the birth of their children, and as they've carried the children to term, they've already formed a bond. Birds are different. She is off hunting for food so she could feed them when they hatch. That is her first instinct."

A little head was about to peak through.

"We need to get down now. The first thing the chick should see is its mother. If it sees us first, it might equate us to its parents," he murmured as he gently brought them back down to the swing.

"That was something," she replied still in awe. She turned to him, unsure of what to do or what to say. Seeing the eggs as they hatched, watching the little magpie struggle to come into this world was a whole new experience for her.

And it touched her deeply as she came upon a realization.

An opportunity to start anew, for both herself and the chicks. She took a deep breath as she struggled to maintain eye contact. It was too important to look away, too important to screw up by making the wrong move.

Amber eyes stared intently into hers. They weren't holding any surprises, or disdain. For once, they were truly content. He was as affected by it all as she was.

She didn't waste any time as she situated herself closer to him, and tentatively, very lightly, brushed her lips over his.

The electric shock coursed through her body like a jolt of lightening, but she didn't press any further, worried she'd scare him off.

"Thank you," she whispered, her mouth still hovering over his.

A new beginning.

END

AN

Ah so Mirrored Pasts has hit a roadblock. No worries, I have one chapter ready for post sometime this weekend, but the following one is just stuck. I got them to a point where I wanted them, and now, I can't see how to get them past it. It will come. In the meantime, I've been working away steadily on this. It's wonderful having a small series like this to break to when I can't see the big picture in my other fics. I've already got number 5 outlined out too (not that it will do any good as I tend to veer from outlines).

I owe a small thanks to the many people who mentioned that magpies liked shiny things. I know crows do, at least the ones that used to be in my area (before west nile hit). I also owe a big thanks to ladydeath31178 who provided the story of the magpie and the keys. It made me laugh, it also made me cringe as I'd be half tempted to let the bird keep my keys, until I realized it'd cost me oodles of $ to replace my car key as it has a built in remote. I think that would be the only scenario I'd go chasing after a winged creature. But it worked well with the story so I hope you don't mind if I used it, especially as it looks like the magpies took many, many sets of keys from people.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed.

ASS: serasvictoria666, Alyana (I tried taking a pic, but my camera isn't good enough. It's in my four year plan, buy better scope, buy DSLR, begin astrophotography), Suicide, FlightofFancy, Rymsie, Wiccan, Mizu (that is one version of the superstition, and mine is along the same lines, but a bit different. But I know both Bert 8813, LadySafire, NeonAlchemist, darknessofmyheart (barn swallows diving at me would be the one thing that would prevent me from ever stepping foot in that barn again. I once went to a butterfly exhibit which had live butterflies flying around shudders never ladydeath31178, SplendentGoddess, and unistar

Disclaimer: See first story


	5. Five for Silver

Five for Silver

The floor in the old house creaked with every step she took. A long, loud, high pitched squeal with one foot, a low groan with the other. She swore the floor could wake the dead ten times over by the time she reached her bedroom at the top of the steps. Why hadn't her mother had it fixed? How was she supposed to sneak back into her bedroom at such a late hour without waking her family? Maybe that was why it wasn't fixed, she narrowed her eyes in thought.

At the moment though she wanted nothing more than to charge up to her room and slam her door, locking herself away in solitude. A good screaming session would work well too. But midnight was not the hour to do so.

Another creak. This time it sounded like a moan and she nearly jumped out of her skin in fright as she saw a shadow cross her path, before turning toward the person in question.

"What are you doing back so late?" she nearly growled at her brother, upset that he had actually managed to frighten her just a bit.

He grinned in response. "Late night date with Asami. Curfew was two hours ago, so try not to wake mom please," he begged. "I don't want to get busted." He looked at her for a moment, noticing the little black dress and the heels she carried in her hand. "Late night with Hisashi?"

Her tongue in cheek she grinned back. "Yeah, but unlike you I don't have a curfew. I just didn't want to wake the whole house." He followed her to her room and sprawled himself across her pink coverlet, much like he had done when he was younger and wanted to spend time with his sister. Neither of them were tired, both feeling exhilarated from their respective nights out.

"Where did you go?" he asked.

"His place actually," she turned to the mirror and removed her earrings from her ears, before releasing the clip holding her hair up. She was surprised that it was intact given their makeout session earlier in the evening. "He wanted a quiet night in. I don't blame him, we always go out."

"You two make the weirdest couple," Souta scrunched his face in thought. "I mean, two years ago you were head over heels in love with Inuyasha, and now you're making kissy faces with his hated brother."

"Watch it Souta," she warned. "You make 'kissy faces' too, unless your evening with Asami was totally innocent." She sent a sly look his way. "Given the fact you're home two hours past curfew tells me you were doing more than making 'kissy faces' with her."

Living for the moments she could make her brother blush, she beamed before sending him on his way to his room, and left for hers. She knew her mother was awake, could hear her tossing and turning in bed through the walls, and she knew her brother was busted. It was a sister's prerogative to take great delight in knowing he'd be facing a lecture come morning.

Kissy faces indeed, she fumed as she shut the door before crawling up onto her bed. If it were only kissy faces, then maybe she wouldn't be coming home spitting mad. Maybe she wouldn't have been coming home at all.

But the arrogant dog had other plans and it often times left her wondering why she was still with him after all this time. She certainly didn't need the aggravation. She spied the open closet across her room and without moving from her spot, she threw her shoes inside, feeling some satisfaction at hearing the thump they made. If it were only his head she had hit instead of the back wall. She'd feel more than satisfaction over that.

Sighing, she stood from her bed and quickly removed the dress, tossing it over her desk chair before grabbing her favourite pair of flannel pajamas, ironically, a pair he had given her on her last birthday after she expressed admiration over them. But tonight she needed comfort, and she needed to feel secure. Not every girl enjoyed being shot down, especially when she was so sure of herself, so sure of how he felt about her.

Tonight was supposed to be the night. Or so she thought when he had asked for a quiet night at his place. This was the first time he had ever suggested such a thing, and given the events that lead up to tonight, any girl could have gotten confused, she tried to convince herself. She really had no reason to be mad at him, and even less of a reason to start an argument. But she learned long ago that emotions very rarely had anything to do with reason and logic. She felt rejected, plain and simple and something inside her told her the only way to lessen her hurt, was to inflict it upon him.

"What have I done?" she mumbled dejectedly into her pillow as she curled up on her side. A sense of hopelessness and loss filled her. It wasn't so much the fight that ate at her, they fought quite regularly, and as her mother once explained to her, it was bound to happen when two people with such strong wills spend so much time together. But it was the fact that he kicked her out.

They had yelled, well she yelled, he glared, she screamed, he glared, and occasionally she would throw objects, and he glared. But the words 'get out' took it to a whole new level. She had really pissed him off.

She lay in silence, listening to the wind rustling the leaves of the trees outside her window, listening to the occasional chirp coming from the magpies, and the occasional sound of a car passing by the shrine. On a typical night this could all be considered background noise. Tonight it echoed and reverberated through the walls and she felt as if she were listening to it all in stereo sound.

Giving up on sleep, she slipped on a pair of sandals and opened her window, smiling slightly at the thought the last time it had been used, when Inuyasha would try to sneak in. Only this time, she was sneaking out. She giggled as the wind the hit her face and maneuvered herself so she was hanging off the eaves trough, and making her way to the other side, where the ground was higher. She spent five years in the feudal era, jumping down from the eaves trough couldn't be that hard.

Wincing as she landed, she bit back a scream, not expecting the force of the impact. It was amazing how out of shape she had become, and vowed to start going to the gym the very next day, if for nothing more than to increase her stamina, flexibility, and ability to roll on impact. Limping along, trying not to cry out with each step, she made her way to the swing bench under the tree and sat. How would she explain herself the next time she saw him?

"Next time you want to jump from your roof I suggest you ask for help first," a voice she was all too familiar with said from right behind her. Whipping around, she nearly strained her neck to catch a glimpse of him, and very nearly smiled … only she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him for leading her on.

"What are you doing here?"

"I've come to hear explanations," he stated simply as he took his seat next to her. He was so close she could feel the heat emanating from his body, yet he wouldn't touch her. She wanted to do nothing more than snuggle into the heat, let it surround her.

"I don't have any explanations for you." She nearly kicked herself for being so stubborn. She should just apologize already.

"But I think you do. Near as I can tell, your time has passed, therefore it is not hormones associated with that time that has caused you to act so irrationally. And I happen to know you're not carrying, so it's not that. You've been out of school for three months so it can't be stress from classes, and you enjoy your job, so it's not stress from that. I'd like to know what caused you to go off like a time bomb tonight."

He stared at her so earnestly, like he was trying to figure it out for himself but couldn't come to a plausible conclusion. She found it very hard to lie to him.

"Look," she spat out. "You want an explanation, you'll get one. You can't go inviting me to your place for a relaxing night in and then actually mean it."

Tonight was probably the one night she couldn't read his face as he remained stoic. The only thing she recognized the feeling of confusion emanating from him.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "We've been seeing each other officially for what, three months now? We come home each night from wherever we've been, sit out in your car for close to an hour, all hot and heavy, and we leave it at that. So when you tell me you want a night in, I expect…" she trailed off, unable to find the words she wanted to say.

But he laughed. She forgot about her embarrassment for a moment and watched in wonder as he let out a full laugh, and while she should be humiliated based on what he was laughing at, she was just in awe that he was laughing that hard at all. It was a rare sight indeed.

The heat of his hand just seared through her when he placed it on her thigh. Whether it was for comfort, or to brace himself, she didn't know.

"Now is not the time," he said when he finally calmed down. "There are things that need to be taken care of first, but I assure you it will happen."

Feeling foolish, she smiled and leaned into him. "I'm sorry, I jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"Indeed you did," he verified. "But that can be forgiven."

He gestured to the bag sitting at her feet. "There is a reason behind why I do anything. I was brought you to my place so you could get used to it. You would learn to love it, as I do, and learn your way around it. And eventually you would be comfortable enough to spend the night there."

Her heart threatened to break out of her chest at his words. How could she ever doubt what she felt for him, and he for her? Especially if he was going to take the time she needed to become comfortable with everything."

"What's in the bag?" she nudged the silver gift bag with her toe, not willing to lose any contact with him to bend over and pick up it. Fortunately his arm was long enough to grab it for her.

"This was part of the plan. I wasn't going to give it to you for another several weeks, but I brought it tonight on a whim."

She was touched. "You brought it in case there was something you needed my forgiveness for."

He smiled sardonically. "There is that."

"You know, you hurt me when you kicked me out tonight. You've never reacted to anything with anything but infinite patience. And tonight you ran out and kicked me out."

"I am not Inuyasha," he warned. "When there is a problem, I expect us to be able to discuss it civilly. You were not in a civil mood."

She removed the tissue paper from the top of the bag and peaked in. "I can't promise to act civil each time we fight. I have too much of a temper," she explained as she pulled out the box.

"Your temper is acceptable."

"Good. What I can promise though is to come back and talk things through when my temper has calmed down. I was going to do that tomorrow morning. I had decided that while jumping from my window."

Slowly, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Open the box."

A twinkle in her eye, she lifted the lid and pushed aside more tissue paper, and gasped. Very gingerly she lifted the first object from the box. "This is gorgeous," she traced her hand over the flowered design on the back of the silver hairbrush. "How old is it?"

"It belonged to my mother. My father gave it to her when he first brought her into his house. I was planning on giving it to you during your first night over, something of yours to keep there."

He raised a claw to catch a tear streaming its way down her cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, at a loss for words. "Thank you."

The moon rose above the tree, casting a silver glow over the backyard. Carefully she placed the brush back in the box, and set it next to her.

"I can try to promise to act in a civil manner," she tried again as she lay her head on his shoulder.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he winked at her. "Just keep your promise to keep coming back and we'll do fine."

END

AN Ah so totally different than my initial plan for this part. I really should learn to stop mapping out outlines for these things as invariably I never follow them. But then I also think that's part of the fun – see how far I can deviate from my original idea.

So, two more stories to go after this.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed.

ASS: The Happy Hentai, serasvictoria666, Jean and unistar and NeonAlchemist, LadySafire, darknessofmyheart

Disclaimer: See story #1


	6. Six for Gold

Six For Gold

The mid-afternoon sun warmed her as she lay on the grass looking up at the clouds passing by. Sighing, she closed her eyes, determined to block out the outside world. She was lonely, and he was on a business trip, one she couldn't join him for as she had to deal with school.

He called every night, as he promised he would before he left. She was feeling needy when she had asked him to do so, and he knew it. But this was one request she didn't regret asking for, regardless of how it made her look.

She had a feeling he would have done it anyway. While he never appeared so, she knew he could be needy too. She would just never say it to his face.

But it was like the light went out when he left. She ate, slept, worked and went to classes, all of which seemed entirely mundane. How was it that one single man, demon or not, managed to influence her outlook on life that much?

She didn't even want to stay at his place while he was gone as it still smelled like him and made her miss him all the more.

When did she get to be so needy? Even with Inuyasha, she was never this bad. Was this what love did to you? She had no basis for comparison. What she felt for Inuyasha was nothing more than affection, love for a friend. It didn't hold a candle compared to what she felt for his brother.

Her mother welcomed her back to the shrine with open arms, relishing each moment spent with her daughter, enjoying acting like a mother to her again. Kagome knew she didn't approve of the move to Sesshoumaru's apartment, but it had reached the point where they couldn't stand to be apart for very long.

He said it was typical when demons courted females.

She knew he was just denying the truth.

But then she didn't need to hear the words either. She saw them every time she looked into his eyes. Beautiful gold eyes that seemed so cold to everybody else, yet so easy for her to read.

With one glance she could see the fear he felt, but refused to admit, the sense of hope that sometimes floated around him, the recklessness he participated in more and more often with her, sometimes instigated by her, sometimes, to her surprise, he instigated it. She could see the sense of belonging he felt when she was nearby, as she felt the same thing, and the understanding that would come after she would go off on him about something that irritated her.

She could see the infinite patience in his eyes when she would do something stupid, much like the time she spilled coffee on his laptop, losing some important reports he hadn't yet backed up. She smiled, remembering that he didn't yell at her, or look upon her with disappointment. Instead he closed his laptop, set it in its bag so he could take it to the technicians the next morning, and immediately took her out to dinner instead.

Not once did he accept any of her apologies, informing her that was an accident and it wasn't like she had poured coffee on it purpose. She only wished everybody else could feel the same way.

She saw the surprise in his eyes when she showed up late at his office one night, the night before one of her papers was due, and brought him dinner. He didn't say as much, but she knew he was touched.

Then there was the lust. Oh she recognized the lust as his pupils would dilate minutely and the amber changed to a bold, intense gold. The way his eyes would widen just a fraction, as if he wanted to see as much of her as possible.

To outsiders though, he was cold. Arrogant. Heartless. Emotionless. Cold.

It thrilled her to no end though that she could incite such feeling within him, with nothing but a sidelong glance. With the briefest of touches, she could instill a heat in him that rivaled no others.

To hold a such a power over a demon like Sesshoumaru, it was a heady feeling.

"Kagome?" she opened her eyes to see her mother sitting on the swing bench under the God Tree, and sat up herself. She missed the bench when she wasn't home, as it was their bench, but she refused to sit on it without him. When had she become so pathetically in love? "I put together a bento box for lunch today," she handed her the box and a pair of chop sticks. "You looked so peaceful out here I didn't want to disturb you by calling you in."

She smiled at her ever-knowing mother. Her mother didn't need to look into her eyes to see how she was feeling. It was written plain as day on her face. "Thanks mom," she tore open the box and dug right into it, knowing it would appease her mother despite her current lack of appetite.

"How was school earlier today. I missed you when you came home."

"Fine. I hit up the library for a couple books for my research paper already. I should be able to start on the research for it tonight."

Her mother looked at her critically for a moment, and she knew it was because her mother wasn't used to seeing her acting so seriously about her studies, not after years of ignoring them for Inuyasha. "Mom," she justified. "If I want to make something of myself today, I need the school. I know better than to blow it off now."

"I know, and I'm proud of you for trying, especially knowing that you don't have to, that Sesshoumaru could support you for the rest of your life if you wanted."

"He could, but I won't let him. I need to make my own way in the world and I can't do that by relying on others all the time. I'll graduate in a year and find something I'm good at. He supports me in this endeavor too, no matter how often he tells me he wishes I weren't in school so I could join him on these trips."

She placed another piece of food in her mouth before chewing and swallowing. She would never tell her mother how tempted she was to do just that, and that it still may happen if he kept asking.

"And how is he enjoying New York City? I heard it's quite the exciting place to be."

"I don't think he even thinks about it anymore, you know. He goes, he does the work, and he comes home. Not once has he even mentioned New York when we speak before bed."

"What do you talk about then if not his time in New York?"

Kagome swore she was blushing from roots to toes as she considered the question her mother had asked. She had never once informed her as to what a lusty man her demon was, how insatiable he had become as of late, even more so now that there was an ocean between them.

"Never mind," her mother smiled as she picked up the empty box to take back to the kitchen. "I'll be inside cleaning up if you want anything. I'll leave you alone again with the birds to lay in the sun." She looked up into the tree, at the full nest. "It is a gorgeous day to take a nap in the grass," she winked before walking away.

She stretched back on the grass again, relishing in the feel of the soft, cool blades against her skin, enjoying the fresh scent. She knew she should be working on her research paper, especially since she wouldn't be touching it for quite a while once Sesshoumaru came home, but she couldn't bring herself to do it

Eyes closed again, she wondered what he was doing right at this moment. She could picture him sitting behind the large, mahogany desk in the high rise building, tie and suit in pristine condition, as it always was, and he'd either be on the phone, his computer or reading over reports before signing off on them. And always, an incredible view of the skyline behind him, much like he had here in Tokyo.

She wondered if he had received the e-mail she sent to him earlier, and hoped it gave him a small chuckle on an otherwise busy day. Yes, sometimes the phone wasn't enough.

The birds above stopped chirping for the moment, and she could hear the soft footprints making their way across the lawn again. Her mother, she mused, probably forgot something. Or perhaps it was her grandfather wanting to show her some new artifact that would eventually go into the storage room to be forgotten.

Her family had their quirks, but she loved them nonetheless.

"Mom?" she asked, without opening her eyes when she heard the footprints stop just before her.

"Is your nose so inferior you can't scent my cologne as I approach?" the familiar voice broke the silence and she nearly jumped in eager anticipation.

She opened her eyes to see the amused gold ones staring back down at her. She smiled, brilliantly, trying to keep the tears at bay.

God she missed him.

"What are you doing home early?" she asked as she picked herself up.

"I missed you," he replied simply, pulling her flush against him before settling them on the swing bench. "I pulled an all nighter the night before after I got off the phone with you so I could catch an early flight home."

Deep within the gold she could see how much he missed her, the desperation to just drink her in apparent, and for a moment, she felt overwhelmed by the intensity.

She leaned into him, and tucked her head into the crook of his neck. There would be time later for a proper reunion. Now was not the place, no matter how much she wished it was. "I missed you too. Welcome home."

END

AN Ah so the muse has been nice to me these past few days, thank goodness, after a lull. For those of you reading Mirrored Pasts, there won't be an update on this week. My schedule has become very hectic, working one full-time job, one part-time job, volunteering and I'm back in school part-time again. I'm sure with this schedule, insanity will be soon setting in. It probably already has for me thinking I can handle such a schedule lol. So simply, I have half a chapter written instead of a whole one since the only time my muse has been cooperative with it is during my lectures, sigh.

One more story and this series is done too, wow.

Enjoy, and have a good night!

Disclaimer: See first story.


	7. Seven for a Secret Never to be Told

Seven for a Secret Never to be Told

He watched her from afar, her own silent cheerleader, though he would never make it known publicly. His dignity wouldn't hold up against the hooting, whistling and hollering being a cheerleader required.

Her family and friends were doing enough of it on their own. It made him want to hang his head in shame and embarrassment.

But today was for her, years of hard work was paying as she stepped up onto the stage to receive her degree from the university chancellor. Her heart, blood, her soul went into it. There was anger, resentment, frustration and a sense of hopeless that often surrounded her and made him want to pull her away from it all.

However, with sorrow and heartache came joy, the glint that she would get in her eye when she would do well on something, or when she spoke of the children she often worked with in her placements. High school students. Students that didn't hadn't let reality interfere with their lives and often did stupid things. But then they'd often done some amazing things as well, and it was their vibrancy that kept her going.

Knowing that she was playing a role in it all. So what could he do but support her?

The most difficult time came when she was studying legends and came across that of Inuyasha. Worse was when she was selected to write a term paper on the half demon. The resources she found only told half the truth, and it hurt her to no end to not do the piece justice, to not tell it the way it was meant to be told.

But she persevered, and paid her proper respects to the dead hanyou with a story of her own, that would one day be published. He kept his hand out of it now, knowing that it would mean more to her if it were published based on her own merits and not because of who he knew. But he kept his eye on it nonetheless, and was well prepared to guide her in the right direction.

That action alone proved therapeutic for the both of them. Five hundred years ago he never expected to fall in love with a human miko. But fall in love he did, head over heels, he mused as he waxed poetic. Until recently, he wasn't even sure if there was a romantic bone in his body. Now he was citing romance all over the place.

Her story of Inuyasha had cleansed of her of any guilt she harboured over his death, though god knows why she would feel guilty when the fool had simply died of old age. But then that was just the way she was, her heart too big for just her own emotions. She needed to encompass everybody else's. Not only had it cleansed her though, it had cleansed him of the jealousy and rage he sometimes felt toward the hanyou. Jealousy for touching what was his first, and rage because something inside him told him that he was glad Inuyasha was out of the way, else he would never had had Kagome.

And this offended his honour.

The sun was high in the sky shining down on them, seemingly just for her. Because she willed it so. He had told her this morning that she could do anything she set out to do when he saw her apprehension take over at the thought of job hunting.

Once again he would stay out of her way and let her work on it on her own, knowing it would bring her a higher sense of satisfaction. But there were things he could do to help, such as put together a stellar CV and cover letter, research into the schools that would suit her best.

But she didn't need to rush on this, he had told her. She could take her time to find something she really wanted, even if it took her years to do so. He wasn't going to go away. He would be there to support her the entire time, both financially, and emotionally.

As it stood now, all she had to do was ask him to make sure there was room for her in her school of choice, and he would do it, no questions ask. Such was the way she had him wrapped around her finger. Though, he worked hard to make sure she would never figure it out.

Fate was a funny thing. Five hundred years ago he would have killed anybody who suggested he'd ever end up falling in love with a human. It disturbed him on some level to see how much he had changed over time, how many of his old values he had given up. But then somewhere over time, the miko had endeared herself to him.

The way she would smile at him without fear when he least expected it.

The way she would sit for hours with Rin, making the little girl laugh, playing with flowers.

The way she would stand up to anybody who got in her way.

The way she fought Naraku, putting her life on the line for a cause she could have walked away from.

Little did he know at the time that she had begun to plant the seeds in his heart.

But there were things she didn't know, couldn't know. She didn't know that at one point he had become a doctor, a world-renowned obstetrician and had helped her mother give birth to her. He studied hard for this one singular event, to make sure she had safe passage into this world, then retired shortly after. Nor did she know that he watched her from afar, growing up. The historical fund supporting the shrine financially was a cover as he worked hard to make sure she always had a safe and secure home to come home to when she returned from the feudal era.

And despite living through history with her, she didn't know that his heart would stop every time she jumped into the well, wondering what would become of her, who she would fight, what the extent of her injuries were? And if not injuries, then her mental state. More than once he had come upon her lying in a field crying for reason or another. He just didn't take the time to care back then. Now, he wished he had.

For days he would sit up high in the Goshinboku, watching the well house for any signs of life. Her mother would come out occasionally and bring some tea, sit and chat with him, telling him of her latest tale with her daughter, or a story of Kagome growing up.

Such was his obsession.

Early on he had learned he couldn't hide much from Mrs. Higurashi, and had confided all to her, It was because of his stories she continued to allow Kagome through the well, knowing that a certain sequence of events had to occur in order for today to exist. She was a remarkable woman, he had learned, and told her he saw much of her in her daughter.

Despite the wait, whether it be hours, days, weeks or in one case, several months, his heart always sped up when he felt the familiar pulse of power coming from the building. She was coming home.

It had nearly killed him to watch her under the Goshinboku that first time, so miserable and heartbroken. And yet he had felt so elated when she turned to him with no second thoughts, and wrapped her arms around him. It was the first time he knew that if he stuck it out and maintained his patience, he would finally get his prize.

The first few months were the hardest he had ever had to endure, trying to live up to the expectations of being a friend, and nothing more. Every time he held her, he wanted to crush her to him, thankful that she had made it past the final battle once again to sit with him. When they would sit for hours and talk under the God tree, he wanted to tell her everything, how much he had missed her over the years, how proud he was to watch her grow up, how he felt, how right it was for them to be together.

But it was never the right time.

And then Shippo came along, with Rin, and the spark that was gone had returned to her eyes, lighting up her whole face. A part of him was angry, jealous that the kit could instantly do what he had been trying to do for so long, while something deep inside him had told him it didn't matter who brought her back to life, just as long as it happened.

He had to reconcile with this fact and had decided from that point he would focus only on making her realize they were meant to be together. Not with the idiot hanyou, but with him.

To the best of his knowledge, he was succeeding too. In the first year he had allowed her to become comfortable with his presence, while at the same time unconsciously making her see him in a new light. He touched her, held her hand, ran his hands through her hair, would guide her with his hand on the small of her back. He listened to her, be it in person or on the phone, when she was excited about something, eager to try something new, or when she would fight with one of her friends, or her brother perhaps, or when she was just down for no apparent reason at all, or at least one she wouldn't tell him.

There was no business meeting that was too great for him to put off if it meant he had to go to her, even if it was just for lunch because she wanted to meet him. World domination was no longer his goal, not that it ever was, he mused, power had become meaningless and his time spent was working toward tomorrow. His hard work would ensure him a forever full of tomorrows with her.

Of course they fought, and they fought often. After all, how was it possible to avoid conflict when two equally stubborn and strong-willed people got together. But for the most part they were able to move them past it, the worst of it coming to pass last year when she had moved out of his penthouse apartment for a solid two weeks. How he had managed not to tear it apart in that time from his anxiousness and desperation, he'll never know. It was probably the only two weeks in his life he had ever gone feral almost to the point of no return.

She had returned to the apartment to claim more of her items she had left behind, eyes filled with sorrow and stained with dried tears, he had managed to note, telling him the separation was causing her as much grief as it was causing him. That thought alone gave him the strength and the courage to make right by her and convince her to come home.

The apartment was no longer home without her there.

He stood on the sidelines now, letting her family and friends monopolize her time, praising her for her efforts and congratulating her on her degree. No doubt they would continue to monopolize her time with photos. Photos with her family, photos of just her in her cap and gown, photos without her cap and gown. Photos to capture the moment of her triumph, something to signify that she had worked hard to make something of herself.

Not that she wasn't something before.

But he was content to wait. His time with her would be tonight, when he got her home and they would be alone to celebrate properly.

Indeed he was proud, knowing that nobody other than her could have surpassed the insurmountable ordeals that had come her way time and time again.

She was the strength he had been searching for his whole life.

With her, felt like he could take on anything thrown his way, simply because she believed him able to do so.

He looked at her with soft eyes as she separated from her family and made her way toward him. She didn't need to say anything, but he knew what she was telling him.

Leaning forward, he took a moment to capture her lips with his, expressing everything he felt at that moment in a single, light kiss.

She wanted to go home. Her time with her family and friends was over. Their time was now.

Their tomorrow was going to begin today.

AN

Hey folks, okay, this is the end of the Magpie series. Yes, the rhyme can take you to ten, however, I only learned up to seven and therefore that's what I'm taking it to :P

So, recap (and there are two versions, the first one is the one I used)

One for SorrowOne for Sorrow

Two for MirthTwo for Joy

Three for a WeddingThree for a Girl

Four for a BirthFour for a Boy

Five for SilverFive for Silver

Six for GoldSix for Gold

Seven for a Secret Never to be told Seven for a Secret Never to be told

And all of these fortunes can be told based on how many magpies you see together, or so the superstition says **g **Now, I didn't include any magpies in this particular segment, as I've done in the others, but it just didn't seem to fit. So we're going to assume somewhere they've seen seven magpies. I tried, but I have to agree with my muse and say they just didn't work.

So the first six were all pretty much from Kagome's POV, except maybe for a small Sess interjection somewhere –sheepish look- I hadn't bothered to reread them and check to see if I'm right in my assumption. So I thought it'd be a nice way to tie everything up using Sesshoumaru POV instead.

A big thank you to everybody who has reviewed and read this thing from the beginning. Your encouragement meant so much to me.

Take care, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed this series.

Disclaimer: See first chapter


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